Description
A moist, spiced vegan cake flavored with gingerbread spices, topped with a creamy chai-infused buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for frosting)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (for frosting)
- 1 teaspoon chai spice blend (for frosting)
- 1 tablespoon plant milk (for frosting, if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour one 8-inch round cake pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in the molasses and applesauce until combined. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the plant milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle slightly.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the plant milk mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the 1/2 cup softened vegan butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and chai spice blend, beating until smooth. Add a small amount of plant milk if the frosting is too stiff.
- Once the cake is completely cool, spread the chai buttercream evenly over the top.
Notes
- For a stronger chai flavor in the frosting, steep one chai tea bag in 2 tablespoons of hot water for 5 minutes, then use 1 teaspoon of the cooled liquid in the frosting mixture.
- You can substitute molasses with maple syrup, but the gingerbread flavor will be less intense.
- Ensure all your wet ingredients are at room temperature for better mixing.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: vegan, gingerbread, cake, chai, buttercream, spiced cake, dairy-free, egg-free